Motivations and Barriers Associated with Adopting Domestic Heat Pumps in the UK

Mitigation within the UK’s residential sector will play a crucial role in achieving a net-zero target by 2050, given this sector accounts for 16% of total greenhouse gas emissions. In the residential sector, space and water heating are the predominant sources of energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. One key renewable source for space and water heating is the heat pump, however, their deployment is significantly lower in the UK compared to neighbouring countries, despite a reasonable attempt at sector growth in the recent past. This review attempts to assess the evidence in relation to the underlying factors responsible for or against transitioning to heat pumps (HPs). Employing evidence synthesis based on peer-reviewed published outputs (n=15), and relevant other outputs from snowballing and grey literature (n=9), this study examines key factors across three broad themes – households’ socio-technical characteristics, built environment attributes and stakeholders’ competing and differing economic and organisational interests – that provide motivations or barriers to scaling up HPs in the UK. Evidence suggests that saving money, increasing household energy independence and reducing greenhouse gas emissions are the households’ principal positive drivers, whereas higher capital and running costs are the major barriers to adopting heat pumps. The current imbalance in energy taxes and levies (environmental levies for electricity and gas bills are 23% and 2% respectively) weakens the economic competitiveness of heat pumps in the UK. Convincing evidence suggests that appropriate knowledge and awareness – choices, technical and financial knowledge – help in the adoption of heat pumps which can be achieved through adopting a bottom-up approach like community-based energy plans. In the context of the built environment, evidence suggests that the heat pump system is often mistargeted, for example, wrongly sized heat pumps are installed and focus on existing smaller homes (social housing) via retrofits. Contrary findings suggest that current HPs’ loads are more suitable for larger and newly built homes. The dominance of the existing housing stock (low stock replacement rates) implies a more nuanced and careful approach should be adopted for this part of the housing system. One of the most important features is to adopt the ‘fabric first approach’, where heating options should be chosen after achieving building efficiency (and in some cases, energy demand reduction) through appropriate retrofitting. Furthermore, the stakeholders’ competing and differing economic and organisational interests as well as the lack of appropriate skill sets to execute the HPs system are major barriers to upscaling HPs. Existing policies and regulations are not sufficiently aligned to incentivise manufacturers and installers and there is a lack of coherence in policies and regulations. For instance, due to the short term span of existing programmes, manufacturers and installers are unable to attract and train suitable skill sets for the next generation of workers. These findings have important policy implications: • Incentives: enhance financial incentives and make an economic case for HPs on the demand side among consumers by reducing the imbalance in levies on electricity and gas bills. • Information: increase demonstrator projects (provides real-world data on all forms of benefits, including energy saving). Adopting a bottom-up approach, particularly involving local governments and community-based organisations. Also, targeting the right segments of households who are potential innovators and early adopters. • Regulation: targeting the right segments, for example, large homes and new buildings initially and then existing buildings after adequate retrofitting. Also, addressing stakeholders’ concerns such as manufacturers, traders,